Good morning world. I’m off to a late start this morning, I was up a bunch last night and I just am now barely getting my droopy eyes open. I woke up with a horrible leg cramp………but more than that, the urgency to pray for someone. It was very odd. The thing is, this person God was telling me to pray for isn’t someone I’m close to at all, in fact I hardly know this person. But oh my, I have NEVER had more of an urgency to pray for this person. So, I hope whatever it was that was wrong with them or happening to them, it’s ok now. I think God gave me a leg cramp, b/c he knew I was to tired just to feel the spirit nudging me to wake up and pray! =)
We had a good weekend. Busy, but good. The weather was just awesome! I had this huge urge Saturday morning to go yard saleing, (one of my favorite things to do) but then, I was like……….wait a minute, I can’t be doing that! I’M trying to get rid of stuff! =) So instead…….we got a lovely visit from a police woman. =) Isn’t is just so awesome when someone, yes a police woman, shoes up at your house when you are in your worst pj’s possible, hair a mess, kids with syrup all over their faces and your house looks like……….well Saturday morning?? My heart sank as I saw her walking up towards our house, I was like, OH NO, what did Kris do now?? =) Hee hee!!! JUST KIDDING. It was actually a BIG mess, someone had broken into my mom’s car at her house (and she didn’t even know) and had stolen a bag that I had actually made for my mom. It’s the kind that you can put pictures in the sides, so it was all my girly’s all over the bag. Well, there was a receipt in there, I don’t know how, of mine. And they traced the receipt back to us, therefore, showing up at our house.
So, after we got all that straightened out, life went on. Of COURSE two seconds after she left my neighbor, Mrs.Martha was on her way over her. “just to check on us”!! I can always count on her to know what’s going on at everyone’s house! =) Tracy would laugh at that!!! She is such a mess.
Well, ok, down to what I really want to talk about today. Yesterday at church we had this thing called “empowered church”, it’s a big three day conference where preachers come from all over to be “lifted up” but they open it up to everyone. But, the guy who preached yesterday, Dr.Jerry Vines, (or is it Rines?, I think vines, not sure) he was just awesome!!! At first when he started to preach I was like Oh no….here we go, b/c he was reading from the King James Version, I believe. But then, once he got going he was great! But what I really want to tell you about was the service last night. We had a combined worship with our North Campus, that was just so spirit filled. Then Dr.Vines preached on heaven, and it was just incredible. If you weren’t getting saved after that message, you weren’t getting saved, if you know what I mean! He talked about what heaven is going to be like, what we will do in heaven, will we know each other in heaven………a lot of stuff like that. And it was so funny b/c as he was speaking he was talking about all the people in the bible that he can’t wait to see and talk to when he gets to heaven.
I was thinking, well, I don’t know who I want to meet, I’d really like to meet Eve (of course) and Mary, Moses and David, I’ll be anxious to see if Judas made it or not, and then I was like, oh but I’ll really be anxious to see if several people along my life that have passed away made it as well. We all like to think that everyone who dies becomes a sweet little angel in heaven but it’s not the way it is. I think about a guy I knew in high school when I lived in Japan, he drowned in a river one summer night, I never knew if he was a born again believer. I think about my grandparents, my dad’s side, yes they were told the truth, but did they believe? And then………I stop and think about how many people I know NOW, and if they will believe the truth or not. That’s when it hits home the hardest. Do you believe in the truth? Have you asked Christ to be your personal Saviour? Have you made a choice to follow HIM the rest of your life? Sure, it’s easy to write that here on this blog, not knowing who will read this or not, but oh my…..to confront so many people I know in my life and as them that hard question.
On Saturday I was out running and I ran past this woman who I see all the time. She’s a little “different”. She always looks like she’s in disguise. She wears a bandanna on her head and BIG sunglasses but she’s always walking this cute little dog. I rarely see her out unless she’s walking the dog and she never smiles or even looks at anyone. And as I ran past her, God said to me, Nicki, do you know that woman? I was like…..no, I mean I see her but I don’t know her……and then I felt God say, “do you know if she knows me?” And I again said, “Lord, no I do not know that…….I’m trying to run.” And THEN, I felt God say to me, “Nicki, if you do not know, then you must ask.” I was like, LORD, RIGHT NOW???? I’m running!!! And I felt as if he said…….your choice. Sadly, no I did not stop and ask that woman who I see all the time, if she knows Jesus. I think about all the people in my life who I have never asked if they know Jesus. I would dare to say that most people in my life know that I love Jesus and I am a born again believer, but I fail to ask so many people I have come into contact with that very simple question, If you were to die tonight, and God said to you, why should I let you into heaven, what would you say? Hmmmmm, deep thoughts this morning.
Well, it’s a super busy week, and I’m off to a very late start, so I guess I’d better get going. We leave for Charleston on Friday!! I’m SO excited, but I’m also very nervous, just not ready for this race. Kris is running to WIN, I’m running just to finish…..not last!!! =) You’d think out of 45,000, I wouldn’t be last but you never know!!! =) Have a very blessed day!!